The Sports Xchange
Sixers 100, Bobcats 92
PHILADELPHIA — Jrue Holiday overcame poor shooting to score nine of his 14 points in the last 5:24 Saturday night as the Philadelphia 76ers outlasted the Charlotte Bobcats 100-92 for their third straight victory.
Evan Turner scored 22 points to lead the Sixers (30-43), who have won seven of 11. Spencer Hawes added 19, and Damien Wilkins and Thaddeus Young had 15 apiece. Young also had 10 rebounds.
Rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist topped the Bobcats, who have the NBA’s worst record at 17-56, with 21 points and Gerald Henderson had 19. The defeat was the 10th straight on the road for Charlotte, which is 6-31 away from home this season.
Hawes broke an 82-82 tie by making two free throws with 6:40 left. After a free throw by Kidd-Gilchrist, Royal Ivey’s layup gave the Sixers an 86-83 lead.
Holiday, just 2 of 13 from the floor to that point, scored the next five Philadelphia points, the last two on a driving left-handed dunk, to give the Sixers a 91-84 advantage with 4:10 remaining.
Holiday, who made his last four shots in the game, added jumpers with 2:58 and 1:02 left, respectively, each time increasing three-point margins to five.
Kemba Walker had 16 points and Josh McRoberts 15 for Charlotte. Jannero Pargo scored 11.
Young contributed 13 points and eight rebounds in the first half. Kidd-Gilcrest countered with 15 points in the first two quarters for the Bobcats.
The Sixers overcame an 11-point deficit early in the second quarter to take a 49-46 halftime lead.
The teams exchanged the lead eight times in the third quarter. Turner led the Sixers with 13 points in the quarter. But the Sixers were ahead just 73-71 at the end of the quarter after Pargo beat the buzzer with a jumper.
NOTES: Former Sixers great Allen Iverson took a bow before the game, and the team gave away bobbleheads in his likeness. … The Sixers’ flight back from Friday night’s victory in Cleveland was delayed three hours by mechanical problems. “The guys thought I sabotaged the plane, so we could stay back and watch the Duke game,” said coach Doug Collins, whose son Chris will remain a Blue Devils assistant as long as they remain alive in the NCAA Tournament, then assume his duties as Northwestern’s new head coach. “I came clean,” the elder Collins said. “I had nothing to do with that.” … Bobcats center Byron Mullens missed his second straight game with a sore right knee. … Collins said he “expected more” from second-year center Lavoy Allen this season. “With Lavoy it’s all about that motor,” Collins said, “and getting that thing moving.” Collins went on to say that he would like to see Allen and rookie forward Arnett Moultrie run the floor more consistently.
———————————————–